New Board Assumes Grady Management... Challenges Ahead

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Grady Hospital is under new management, effective today.

The Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation, a non-profit board of directors, now begins the tough task of turning around the financially troubled health system and it won't be easy.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

For 15 months, people called corporation chair Pete Correll racist, and accused him of planning a corporate takeover of a public asset. Grady's trustees asked Correll and other members of Metro Atlanta's Chamber of Commerce to help keep Grady Hospital open.

Correll, former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, came close to bailing long ago.

CORRELL: There were many a night I wanted to walk. Hold a press conference the next morning and say I have had it, we're out of here.'

But now Correll is optimistic, and he wants to give Grady's employees reason to be optimistic, too. He senses, walking through the hospital corridors, that morale is low.

CORRELL: People look at their shoes rather than looking at me. That's not a good sign. People don't walk up and stick out their hand and say Hi, I'm Joe, I work in the emergency room, glad you're over here.'

Correll expects morale to improve once the hospital starts upgrading equipment. With the first of four $50 million installments from the Woodruff Foundation deposited today, those upgrades should start soon. Correll also hopes morale will improve once the corporation identifies a new permanent CEO for the hospital in early June.

One word Correll repeats about Grady's future is change.'

CORRELL: In my view, we've got to change to survive. I don't mean to sound like a corporate animal, but we've got to change to survive. And we've got to protect the mission of that hospital, because that's what this has all been about.

Correll doesn't speak only of changing equipment and technology, but also revenue sources, and the community perception of Grady.

CORRELL:What I would really like to see is the people of Atlanta really proud of Grady, and not regarding it as a burden that they have to bear. And I don't think that's an unrealistic dream.

The Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation has a 40-year contract to manage the system.

Odette Yousef, WABE News.